Story By: NHRA – READING, PA – In only his third season in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Gaige Herrera is just one win away from winning at all the tracks on the Pro Stock Motorcycle circuit.
If he would win this weekend at the 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway to open the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, he would have race wins at all Pro Stock Motorcycle facilities.
Herrera, the reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion and rider of the RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, has won seven of the nine motorcycle races this season, including most recently at the prestigious Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.
He currently leads the points heading into the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs and is on a hunt for his second consecutive world title.
“Going up to Reading, that’s the one place I haven’t won yet, so I’m really determined to try to win this weekend,” said Herrera. “We just have to not take anything for granted. Last year, we obviously had the faster motorcycle out there and I think we relaxed a little bit maybe and it bit us in Reading. This year we’re going to go in focused on the main prize and that’s to be consistent each lap and do the best we can to have the best machine possible.”
Last season, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all claimed wins in their respective categories and this year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1 and FOX, including elimination coverage on FOX on Sunday, Sept. 12 beginning at 2 or 4:30 p.m. ET (based on local listings). It is the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Herrera earned 11 wins in 2023, only missing Bristol, Norwalk, Indianapolis and Reading. This year, only Reading remains on his list. The only other two riders to win this season are 2023 Rookie of the Year Chase Van Sant, who won over Herrera in Seattle, and six-time champion Matt Smith, who won in Sonoma and opens the playoffs second in points.
“I feel like the whole class has tightened up,” said Herrera. “Last year was kind of unexpected to the whole class. Not only unexpected from myself, but to the whole class. What Vance & Hines and I were able to accomplish last year made everyone step up as a whole. This year the Countdown is going to be very interesting. (Matt Smith Racing) has a good group of bikes and my teammate Richard Gadson is solid, and Chase Van Sant is in there, too. All the riders and teams have really stepped up their game. The Countdown is going to be fun and I’m really looking forward to it.”
In the Pro Stock ranks, leader Dallas Glenn heads to Maple Grove Raceway with a 25-point lead over Aaron Stanfield in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. Glenn has picked up three wins this season and is on the hunt for his first NHRA world championship. Stanfield has been hot the second half of the year, picking up four wins this summer, including Indianapolis.
Glenn enters the Countdown as the No. 1 seed for the second year and is determined to do everything he can to stay atop a talent-heavy category.
“It feels good to be No. 1 going into the Countdown for the second year in a row,” said Glenn. “We just want to leave the Countdown the way we entered it. We all know what we need to do. There are technical things we need to improve on, there’s also horsepower but moving forward, any time you are static in this class, you’re going backward. It’s constantly evolving, constantly moving forward.
“So, we know what we need to do. I know there were some mistakes on my part in the Countdown last year. In Reading, I was .001 red first round, which is something you cannot do the first race of the Countdown. I did a good job of driving to get to the final in Charlotte and then in St. Louis, the car was just not really there. We had a couple other races where we just had some small parts failures but that’s racing. We know what needs to be done so we’re going to try to go up there and be as aggressive as possible. Drag racing is a very humbling sport. You can go from hero to zero in a heartbeat.”
Also in the Pro Stock mix is Greg Anderson, with two wins this season, and reigning champion Erica Enders who picked up a win in Gainesville. Defending Pep Boys NHRA Nationals winner Matt Hartford hopes returning to Maple Grove can rejuvenate his season. Others to watch include five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., Epping winner Troy Coughlin Jr., Jerry Tucker and Cristian Cuadra.
In Top Fuel, Kalitta’s Reading win a year ago spurred his run to a world championship. He’ll look to make it two in a row, taking on the likes of Justin Ashley, who opens the playoffs second in points, Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence, Antron Brown, Brittany Force, Clay Millican and Top Fuel newcomer Tony Stewart.
Funny Car’s Austin Prock has taken over driving duties for Hight and will look to keep rolling in Reading. He has five wins this season, entering the playoffs in the points lead while taking on the likes of Bob Tasca III, reigning champion Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, J.R. Todd and Funny Car veteran Jack Beckman, who is racing for John Force.
The event also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock.
Fans will be invited all weekend long to the Nitro Alley Stage, which is the main entertainment hub in the pits, hosting Nitro School, meet and greets, music and much more. Race fans at Maple Grove Raceway can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the event winners.
As always, fans get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet in Reading. Fans get a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 2:30 and 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 13 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 15. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, as well as at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday and eliminations on FOX at 2 or 4:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) on Sunday.
FORD PERFORMANCE NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF NHRA NATIONALS IN LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS, NV – NHRA officials have announced that Ford Performance has been named the title sponsor of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series fall race in Las Vegas.
The 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals, which takes place Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, serves as the penultimate event of the 20-race 2024 season and also the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, meaning plenty will be on the line in Las Vegas.
For nearly 25 years, the fall race in Las Vegas has provided spectacular action and an incredible atmosphere as the championship picture comes into view. Fans can expect more of the same at the impressive facility in 2024 as all the stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will head to the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals with big goals and big performances on their minds.
“We appreciate going to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and are excited about the opportunity to partner with them and NHRA on this event,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We know that drag racing fans from all over the country travel to Las Vegas for this weekend, and there’s no doubt they’re going to get their money’s worth. It’s going to be a great show as always.”
“Ford Performance has been a mainstay in all forms of motorsports for decades,” LVMS President Chris Powell said. “The name and the ubiquitous blue-oval Ford logo have become synonymous in drag racing, backing some of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history. We’re thrilled to welcome Ford Performance as a first-time partner in our November NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship playoff event.”
Ford Performance is also a partner for Funny Car standout Bob Tasca III, who will look to be in the championship hunt for a second consecutive year. Tasca, who won recently in in Sonoma, has three wins this season in his 11,000-horsepower Ford Mustang, including at the spring race in Las Vegas, and is currently second in points entering the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) each won the fall race in Las Vegas last year. This season’s race will be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations on Sunday, Nov. 3.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ford Performance as the title sponsor of the NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer Brad Gerber said. “This is such an important race on our schedule and all eyes will certainly be on Las Vegas this fall, and it’s exciting to have a partner like Ford Performance on board for this huge event.”
Enders has dominated The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway over the years, as her 10 wins at the fan-favorite facility are the most in NHRA history. Tony Schumacher’s eight wins are the most in Top Fuel, while Ron Capps’ six victories in Funny Car is tied for the most at the track with John Force and Hight. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hector Arana Jr. leads active riders with three victories, including a win in 2022.
The Ford Performance NHRA Nationals also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which includes some of the sport’s top drivers, and the Summit Racing Series ET Finals, where national champions will be crowned. The event also serves as the season-finale in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock.
